¹final

last, final, terminal, ultimate mean following all others (as in time, order, or importance). last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped <last page of a book> <last news we had of him>. final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress <final day of school>. terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development <terminal phase of a disease>. ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible <the ultimate collapse of the system>.

The Latin word finis, meaning “end” or “boundary,” gives us the root fin. Words from the Latin finis have something to do with ends or limits. Something final, such as the last chapter in a book, is the ending one. To confine is to put limits or boundaries around something. To finish something is to come to its end. Something finite has limits and happens only for a certain amount of time or in a certain space before it ends.